Dear All (apologies for cross posting),

Some colleagues may be aware of the book, The Oxford Handbook of Music & Virtuality, that I co-edited with the late Sheila Whiteley. I am pleased to announce that the book (and e-book) has been published. Please see below for more details on this exciting and momentous collection.  For more information, please contact me directly on: [log in to unmask] Thank you.

The Oxford Handbook of Music & Virtuality
Edited by Sheila Whiteley and Shara Rambarran
Publisher: Oxford University Press (New York)
Hardcover: ISBN 9780199321285
(Also available as an e-book)

‘Has the virtual invaded the realm of the real, or has the real expanded its definition to include what once was characterized as virtual? With the continual evolution of digital technology, this distinction grows increasingly hazy. But perhaps the distinction has become obsolete; perhaps it is time to pay attention to the intersections, mutations, and transmigrations of the virtual and the real. Certainly it is time to reinterpret the practice and study of music. The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality, edited by Sheila Whiteley and Shara Rambarran, is the first book to offer a kaleidoscope of interdisciplinary perspectives from scholars around the globe on the way in which virtuality mediates the dissemination, acquisition, performance, creation, and reimagining of music. 

The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality addresses eight themes that often overlap and interact with one another. Questions of the role of the audience, artistic agency, individual and communal identity, subjectivity, and spatiality repeatedly arise. Authors specifically explore phenomena including holographic musicians and virtual bands, and the benefits and detriments surrounding the free circulation of music on the Internet. In addition, the book investigates the way in which fans and musicians negotiate gender identities as well as the dynamics of audience participation and community building in a virtual environment. The handbook rehistoricizes the virtual by tracing its progression from cartoons in the 1950s to current industry innovations and changes in practice. Well-grounded and wide-reaching, this is a book that students of any number of disciplines, from Music to Cultural Studies, have awaited.’

Oxford University Press USA:

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-music-and-virtuality-9780199321285?cc=us&lang=en&

Oxford University Press UK:

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-music-and-virtuality-9780199321285?cc=gb&lang=en&

(Also: Amazon, Foyles and most online bookstores)

Further information:

Book’s website: https://musicvirtuality.wordpress.com
 
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MusicandVirtuality/

Sample: http://www.popmatters.com/feature/the-oxford-handbook-of-music-virtuality/

Book Launch and Panel: IASPM UK & Ireland Biennial Conference hosted by the University of Sussex and BIMM on Thursday 8th September 2016 http://www.iaspm.org.uk/conference2016/

With warm regards,

Dr. Shara Rambarran FHEA 
[log in to unmask]